


Witchery

by tigyfairy



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Witchcraft, Clumsy Harry Styles, Fluff, M/M, Magical Realism, No Smut, Witch Harry Styles, Witchcraft
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-18 03:35:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28736574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tigyfairy/pseuds/tigyfairy
Summary: When Louis Tomlinson moves to Crooks Creek with his family, he isn't expecting much from the small town. That changes when he meets the curly haired and enigmatic Harry Styles. Louis is intrigued by Harry's strange mannerisms and unique hobbies, but he can't even begin to suspect the reason why Harry's family is so different to his own.ORThe 90's Witch AU Larry Stylinson fanfic that no one asked for.
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1 - Nice to Meet Ya

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first pic so bear with my as I do my best to make it work! I'd been wanting a story like this for a while, but it didn't exist, so I wrote it myself.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *the song for this chapter is In a Week by Hozier

Saturday, April 9, 1994  
Crooks Creek, Oregon

Harry took in the feeling of the damp air on his skin. A heavy fog hung low on the forest, shrouding the canopy in a blanket of stone white. He continued on his trek down the path, heading towards the river, on a quest for algae. When the earth began to warm again in the spring, it was prime conditions for algae blooms, and he was sure that there would be an abundance of it in the coming weeks. As he trudged along the muddy path, he thought he might have felt a drop of rain, not uncommon in Crooks Creek, especially at this time of year. Looking up to the blank sky, he didn’t see the slippery root jutting out from the ground in front of him. The edge of his boot caught the root and he went tumbling down, face first, into the mud. 

Harry was certainly no stranger to falling, or to mud, having been practically raised in the woods around the town. He also had a tendency for clumsiness, somehow managing not to inherit the natural grace the rest of his family possessed. 

What Harry was not anticipating, however, was the voice that called out to him as he began to stand and brush himself off.

“Are you alright?” Came the voice “That was quite a tumble you took there.”

Harry looked up and saw a man heading towards him, slightly blurred by the fog in the air. As the man grew closer, Harry could see that it was a boy, roughly his age. Slightly shorter than Harry, with floppy hair. The boy came right up to Harry.

“You didn’t hurt yourself did you?” The boy asked.

“Oh, uhh, no. I’m alright.” Harry responded.

“Alright then.” The boy responded.

The two boys stood there awkwardly for a moment, unsure who should talk next, or what there even was to say. Eventually, Harry couldn’t stand the weight of the awkwardness any longer.

“What's your name?” He inquired “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around before.”

“Oh right. I’m Louis. I don’t reckon you would have seen me before, I’ve just moved here.”

“Ah. That makes more sense. I know everyone who lives here. Their grandmothers too.” Came Harry's response “I’m sorry to say there won't be much to keep you entertained here.”  
“I gathered that.” Louis laughed “Why do you think I’m wandering around the woods by myself?”

Harry laughed lightly at Louis' response, before coming to a realization.

“Where are my manners? My name’s Harry. I probably should have said that before.”

“Well then. Pleasure to make your acquaintance Harry. Now what brings you to this neck of the woods?”

“Algae...”

“I’m sorry, did you just say algae?” Louis asked, then proceeded to cackle, his laughter filling the otherwise silent forest with its loud ringing.

“Yes! Well not this part of the woods specifically, but it’s generally what I’m here for.”

“What could you possibly need algae for?”

At this, Harry froze. 

A fact about Harry that has yet to be mentioned is that Harry is a witch. So are his mother and his sister. In fact his whole family are witches. Not the kind of witches you read about in stories, with green skin and pointy noses, but practitioners of the mystic arts. Once upon a time, witches didn’t exist. There were only humans. That changed when a woman, whom Harry is many generations descended from, was gifted with magic. Her family line has been blessed with magic ever since, and every one of her descendents are witches. 

This brings us to why Harry was in the forest, collecting algae, on this very day. 

Harry’s family owns the Apothecary in Crooks Creek, claiming to sell natural remedies and holistic health treatments. Visitors to the store just see it as Hippie Dippie tourist nonsense. Unique and interesting, but nothing overly useful. What they don’t know is that every product is imbued with magic, absolutely teeming with it. Harry’s main job in the family business is to collect ingredients for the stores, which his relatives will use to brew up potions and perform spells and rituals. These first few weeks of April are the perfect time to restore the algae stock, and so Harry was heading out to fill up their stores. 

The thing is, he can’t exactly tell Louis all this. Louis is a human, and beyond that, a stranger. 

“Well? What is the algae for?”

“It's for um… lotion. Yeah, it's for making lotion.” Harry responded frantically.

“Lotion?” Louis repeated questioningly. “Do you make a lot of lotion?”

“No! Not me specifically anyways. My mother does. To sell in our store. We own the town Apothecary.” Harry explained in terribly fragmented sentences. 

“Alright then… mind if I join you?”

“I mean, if you want to. You’ll probably find it boring.”

“Nah. I have nothing better to do. Besides, I don’t think I’d ever find you boring curly.”

Curly.

That was a new development.

“Well. Lead the way!” Louis exclaimed, breaking Harry out of his daze.

Harry stepped over the root this time, remembering the whole reason for their interaction in the first place. He began heading downhill along the path, keeping his eyes trained on the path in an attempt to avoid any more embarrassing falls. Despite his careful descent downwards, Harry managed to trip up again. This time, however, Louis caught his arm. 

At the contact, Harry felt his face flush.

“Careful now curly.” Louis jokingly reprimanded.

Harry just blushed harder.

Curly.

There it was again. Louis apparently already had a nickname for him. That was fast.

They walked along in companionable silence for several more minutes, until they began to hear the rushing of the river, flowing and full from the melting of the winter ice. 

“We're almost at the river now.” Harry explained, turning to face Louis.  
Louis grinned at Harry and gestured for him to keep moving.

They rounded a bend in the trail, and the river revealed itself to them. Right in front of where they stood, the water was moving quickly, rushing past them, as if it were excited to finally be free from the restraints of the winter months. Looking upstream, the river was even wilder, it could be seen jumping and rippling off in the distance. Looking downstream, the river began to calm.

“We need to go down there, where the river’s calmer. That's the only place where we’ll be able to find any algae.” Harry explained to Louis, pointing down the river. 

“Off we go then.” Louis offered in return.

They walked along the river bank, soon reaching an area that Harry deemed suitable for their task. He began unlacing his hiking boots, balling up his socks and placing them inside the shoes. Louis followed suit, and then proceeded to roll up his jeans. 

Harry stepped off the bank and into the river, wincing slightly at the icy chill, but refraining from saying anything. He wanted to surprise Louis.

Harry heard Louis' reaction before he could turn to see it.

“Jesus fuck!” Louis shouted loudly before beginning to laugh. “You’re trying to kill me curly! I should have known that following a stranger into the woods would be the end of me.”

Harry giggled at that.

“You think it's funny, don’t you? Let’s see who’s laughing now…”

At that, Louis began to splash the icy water at Harry.

“Alright, alright! I’m sorry.” Harry apologized. “Now, can we collect the algae. The sooner we start, the sooner we can get out of the cold.” 

“Fine.” Louis agreed.

Harry began to explain to Louis how to pick up the rocks and scrape off the algae with a knife, containing it all in a jar. Before long, each boy had filled a jar, and Harry determined that they were good to head back now. The boys began exiting the river, stepping up onto the damp dirt of the bank.  
“My feet are all cold and slimy now curly. This is all your fault.”

“I’m sorry. I should have warned you.” Harry apologized, sincerely sorry for the other boy.

“Ah, it's all good, just a bit of fun is all.” Louis teased.

The two waited a moment for their feet to dry, before stuffing them back in their boots.

“We should probably get going.” Harry said quietly.

“Suppose so curly.”

They began the trip back out of the woods, first heading back upstream to the trail, then up the hill. The two boys walked in silence, Harry in front and Louis following, until they reached the root that Harry had tripped over not two hours earlier. 

“Do you reckon you can manage?” Came Louis' voice from behind Harry.

“Hmm?”

“Do you think you can step over the root without tripping, I mean.”

“Oh, yes. Thanks.”

“Ha.” Louis laughed out dryly.

“Will you be going to the local High School?” Harry asked suddenly. “Since you’ve just moved here.”

“Oh. Yes. I start up on Monday. I was a bit worried, I’ll admit, about not knowing anyone, but I suppose I know you now...” He trailed off.

Harry grinned.

“Indeed you do Louis...”

“Tomlinson. Louis Tomlinson.”

“Well Louis Tomlinson. Let's get you home.”

With that, Harry turned and continued down the path. In the fifteen minutes it took to reach the main road, he and Louis exchanged little bits of conversation. Harry pointing out native plant species and Louis talking about his siblings. At one point, Harry asked Louis where he had moved from.

“Arizona, born and raised.”

“What brings you here from Arizona? Certainly not the sun!” Harry asked, a bit taken aback.

“Mom wanted a change, we all got dragged along on her newest obsession. Quiet small town life in the idyllic PNW.” 

“I’m sorry. It must suck to have to leave all your friends.” Harry apologized. “And the sun...”

Louis laughed at that.

“And the sun.”

With that, the conversation seemed to come to an end. They were almost at the forest's edge anyways. Harry could hear the occasional car passing by on the road ahead. 

“Well. We’re almost back at the road. I guess this is where we part ways.” Harry sighed.

“I guess so. I really should head home.” Louis returned. “I’ll see you on Monday then Harry...”

“Styles. Harry Styles.”

“See you around Harry Styles.”

“See you around Louis Tomlinson.”


	2. Chapter 2 - New Boy in Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis and Harry part ways after their meeting in the forest, and we are introduced to a member of each of their families. 
> 
> *the song for this chapter is Hannah Hunt by Vampire Weekend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few notes about the time period and the music!
> 
> I have somewhat randomly picked the year 1994 to be the setting of this story, and it will likely cover at least half of a year in time. I mostly just associate the 90's with cheesy witchcraft stories, and I liked the idea of keeping that in the story. That being said, I was not alive in 1994, so there may be some inaccuracies, and the time setting is not all that important to the story. 
> 
> Also, each chapter will have a song, or a few songs, that I chose to fit the vibe of the chapter. Some of them may be more important or related than others, but they will all be good songs! Not every song that I pick will have been in existence in 1994, however the ones I include within the text itself will fit the time period.
> 
> Enjoy the chapter!

Saturday, April 9, 1994  
Later that day

After parting ways with Louis, Harry began the walk back home. He lived in an apartment above the Apothecary with his mother and his sister. As he walked, he thought back on his encounter with Louis, and wondered if he was the first person that Louis had met in town. It wasn’t likely, small town people are known for welcoming newcomers. After all, the sooner you get to know someone, the sooner the gossip starts flowing. 

Harry arrived at the Apothecary and headed through the door, the bell ringing with the sound of his arrival. He looked around the store, which seemed unmanned at the moment, and wondered where Gemma was. It was her job to look after the shop on weekends. Shrugging his bag off his shoulder, he began digging through it in search of the two jars of algae. As he was looking down to sift through notebooks, novels, and a box of rocks, he bumped into something, rather, someone.

“Woah there clumsy. You trying to knock me over?”

Flushing with embarrassment at the familiar sound of his sister's voice, he looked up.

“Sorry Gem. I didn’t think anyone was in.”

“No worries. Maybe try looking where you’re going next time though,” she laughed.

Harry proceeded past her, into the back storeroom, and Gemma returned to her usual spot behind the counter. 

“Hey Gemma,” Harry called from the back room, where he was shelving the jars of algae. “Have you heard anything about a new family moving into town? The Tomlinsons?”

“No, I haven’t heard anything about that,” came the response from the front room. “Why? Did mom mention something?”

“No, but today while I was out in the woods collecting ingredients, I ran into a boy I’d never seen before. He said that he and his family had just moved here from Arizona.”

“Strange,” Gemma responded. “Usually we would have heard something about it beforehand.”

“He helped me collect the algae. I panicked when he asked me what it was for though, told him it was to make lotion. He looked at me like I’d grown a second head.”

“Silly boy,” Gemma chuckled, shaking her head disapprovingly “at least he didn’t question it.”

“I don’t know what I would have done if he had started asking questions. I probably would have just run away.”

“Silly, silly boy,” Gemma repeated, laughing to herself as she picked up a catalogue and began to leaf through it. “Mom will be home soon, you could ask her about it.”

“It’s fine. Not that big of a deal. I was just curious.”

“So what did you and the new boy get up to in the woods?” Gemma inquired teasingly.

Harry felt his cheeks flush for the third time that day.

“Nothing much,” he gulped, “just collecting algae. By the way, his name is Louis, not ‘new boy’.”

Gemma leaned over the counter to ruffle his curls. 

“Nothing much my ass. You’re blushing!”

“Seriously Gemma! I just met him. I barely know him!”

“Ah I’m just teasing you Haz.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Harry sighed, and then turned to leave the shop, ducking through the beaded curtain that concealed the steps up from the store and into their apartment.

_______________

Louis didn’t have far to walk, he had parked the family pickup truck in a lot just down the road from the entrance to the trail. He’d had his license for over a year now, and his mother let him drive it for short trips when she didn’t need it for work or errands. He had told her that he was just going for a short drive to get an overview of the town. That was almost four hours ago. 

Shit.

She was going to be worried sick. 

Although Louis insisted he was fine with the move (really, he was, he didn’t have much of a life in Arizona to leave), Johannah worried that he was hiding his true feelings to make her happy. Honestly, if he had to hide his feelings to make her happy, Louis would. In a heartbeat. She’d had a rough go of it the past few years, and he knew she wanted a fresh start for everyone. He just hoped that the change of scenery would be enough to get her back on her feet. 

Pushing aside thoughts of the move, and worries for his mother, Louis hopped in the truck. As he began to drive, hoping he remembered the way home, he let his thoughts drift back to the strange curly haired boy he had encountered in the woods.

Harry.

Harry had worn a pair of denim overalls over a brown waffle knit, a windbreaker, a red beanie, and a pair of excessively muddy hiking boots. He’d also had a bag slung over his shoulder, absolutely stuffed to the brim with God knows what. He had made quite the commotion when he fell, catching Louis attention right away. He never seemed totally sure about what he was saying, and he was just about the clumsiest person Louis had ever met. He had to stop Harry from falling at least five times in their one hike. Louis wanted to get to know this boy more than he had ever wanted to get to know anyone else.

Monday.

Harry had said that he would see Louis on Monday. In school. New school.

Shit.

It wasn’t that Louis hated school. His grades, while average, weren’t terrible. He just had no luck making friends. He enjoyed soccer well enough, but wasn’t much good at most other sports. He wasn’t exactly shy, or overly odd, he just didn’t seem to attract people. At his last school, in Arizona, he’d had a few acquaintances. People he sat with in classes and at lunch, but they didn’t have much in common, other than having no one else to socialize with. 

Shaking his head, as if to rid it of these thoughts, he was abruptly reminded of the fact that he was still driving. Almost missing the turn onto his street, he forced himself to return his attention to the road. School could wait until Monday.

Pulling into the driveway of his new house, on the outskirts of town, he hopped out of the truck. Shutting the door, he trekked up the driveway, unlocked the door to the house, and closed it again behind him. 

“I'm home,” he called out, voice echoing. 

Getting no response, he frowned, and looked down at his watch. It was nearing seven O’ clock, and the sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon. It was too early for his mother or Lottie to be sleeping, and too late for any of his siblings to be out playing. 

“MOM?” He tried calling again.

“Louis?” Came his mothers voice.

She was coming down the stairs, wrapped in a bathrobe, hair damp.

“I just got out of the shower,” she explained, “you were gone a long time. Where did you get around to?”

“Oh, I drove around a bit, until I saw I sign for a trail. So I parked the truck and decided to check it out. I had just started down this path, when what do I see but some kid falling right on his face. Turns out he’s from town. Anyways, he told me he needed to collect algae, for some lotion or something, so I offered to help.”

Louis paused his tale and noticed his mother frowning slightly at him.

“So what I’m hearing is that you decided it was a good idea to follow a stranger that you had just met, into the woods, in a town where we know absolutely no one and no one knows us?” She inquired.

“Erm, yes. I suppose that would be right.” Louis coughed, cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

“Well then,” Johannah sighed, “suppose that's my fault. I raised you.”

Louis chuckled at that.

“Right. There's dinner on the stove. You can help yourself. I’m going up to tuck in the twins.”

“Alright mom. I’m sorry if I worried you.”

“You know Louis, you always worry me. But you’ve said that this move is alright with you, so I’m trusting you to adjust.”

“It won’t be an issue mom, honestly. I’m excited for a fresh start…”

Louis mom sighed and walked over to him, giving him an affectionate squeeze on the cheek.

“I know Louis, I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, feel free to let me know what you think! 
> 
> I have about the first 8 chapters planned, and as of right now I am unsure for how long this fic will be, but I have some exciting ideas...


	3. Chapter 3 - Monday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis has his first day of school in Crooks Creek, and he is introduced to some new people.
> 
> *the song for this chapter is In the Aeroplane Over the Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel

Monday, April 11, 1994

Louis woke to the sound of his alarm blaring from across the room. He groaned and rolled over, pressing his face into his pillow and sighing. Forcing himself out of his bed, he planted his feet on the cold wood floors and rubbed his eyes.

He had to go to school today. 

He got dressed in a plain pair of jeans and a knit sweater, dressing in the dark to avoid having to turn on the harsh overhead lights. Stumbling around in the meager morning light from his windows, he found a pair of clean socks and hopped around, putting them on in a rush, hoping to avoid being late to school on the first day.

After he had dressed, he went to use the single bathroom in the house, only to find that it was already occupied by his sisters, pushing around each other in an attempt to brush their teeth and get a look in the mirror. Oh well. Seems he wouldn’t be able to use the bathroom after all.

Running down the stairs, he turned the corner and slid into the kitchen, where his mom handed him a cup of coffee. Louis started chugging the coffee while his mother stared at him dazedly.

“What's got you so in a rush?” She questioned him.

“Don’t wanna be late,” Louis explained between gulps of coffee, “first day and all that.”

“Still. Don’t you want to at least brush your hair?”

“Couldn’t. The girls were using the bathroom. It's like a warzone in there.”

Finishing the last bit of his coffee, Louis turned to drop the mug in the sink. As a last attempt to appear somewhat less unkempt, he splashed a bit of cold water from the faucet on his face.

“Alright, gotta go. Love you. I’ll see you after school.”

“Have a good day love, try to make a friend.”

“Yeah, yeah. Now let me leave, woman!” Louis joked.

“Go on then. Good luck!”

Louis grabbed his bag and keys from by the door and he ran out onto the driveway, letting the door swing shut behind him with a bang. He hopped in the truck and began the drive to school.

The Crooks Creek High School was located about a five minute drive from Louis’ home, right near the middle of town. It was a low red brick building, two stories high. It was about half the size of Louis old school in Arizona, which made sense given how small the town was. Students were standing in clumps, around cars in the parking lot and on the front lawn. Louis tried not to panic as he sat in his parked truck, looking around, not recognizing anyone. He took a few deep breaths before grabbing his bag from the passenger's seat and jumping out. He followed a pair of people into the school, where he stood feeling increasingly lost and disoriented.

“Louis? Hey there! You’re Louis right?” An unfamiliar voice came from down the mostly empty hall to his right. 

Louis looked over, surprised, to see a tall brunette boy, about his age, headed down the hallway towards him. The boy had fairly short hair that lay flat against his head. 

“Yeah, I’m Louis,” he called back in response. “Who are you?”

“Oh, right. I’m Liam. I’m on the student council, and they asked for someone to show around a new kid. That would be you.”

“Oh, um, okay then.”

“Do you have your schedule?” Liam asked. 

Louis stared at the golden retriever like teen in front of him. Liam was practically bouncing up and down with energy, he looked almost ready to take off running.

“Yeah. It says I have Chemistry III first. Do you know where that is?”

“Chem III? Sick! I’m in that class first too, you can walk with me.”

“Perfect,” Louis sighed tiredly, unsure how best to handle Liam’s seemingly boundless enthusiasm.

“First things first,” Liam went on, obviously oblivious to Louis' lack of engagement, “we should find your locker.”

Liam plucked Louis' information sheet from his hand and inspected it. After giving a hum of approval, he turned and began walking down the hall in the direction he’d come from.

“Your locker is on the second floor, in the east wing. That's where all the junior’s lockers are.”

Liam turned abruptly and began to climb a flight of stairs, not stopping to make sure Louis was still with him. Louis followed, trailing behind Liam slightly, not wanting to match his quick pace so early in the morning. 

Eventually, Liam stopped, near the end of a hallway on the upper floor. Louis had to catch himself before he almost ran into Liam.

“Here we are. Locker 2-337. All yours.”

“Thanks,” Louis said dryly, “appreciate it.”

“No problemo. Anyways, the room for Chem III is about halfway down the hallway to the right, room 216, you can’t miss it. I have to go get some stuff from my locker, but I will see you there.”

Liam finished his directions, and then turned and bounded off back down the hall.

“Great, thanks,” Louis muttered to himself.

Looking around him, there didn’t seem to be many people in this part of the hall. Despite that, he could feel people's eyes on him when they passed by. He figured it was something he’d have to get used to, seeing as he was starting a new school, with just a few months left in the year, in a small town that wasn’t used to strangers. How absolutely fantastic. Slightly regretting agreeing to his mothers plan for the first time, Louis tried to tell himself to just calm down and take things one day at a time. Extracting his books from his bag and setting them in his locker, Louis shut the metal door and set off in search of his Chemistry class.

_________________

Harry enjoyed mornings. He usually woke up before 6, so he had time to read a bit, do his chores around the shop, and watch the sunrise, before he had to leave and walk to school. On this particular morning, Harry was tasked with filling some orders from regular clients to be picked up later that day. He hummed quietly to himself as he navigated the back storeroom, plucking bottles of sweet smelling lotion and jars of woody pine salve off of the shelves, setting them into different boxes and checking the order receipts to find the next component. After he had finished with his chores, he went out to sit by the storefront windows, where they’d had a small counter installed. He pulled out a novel and began to read by the growing daylight. The windows of the shop were framed by heavy maroon velvet curtains, pushed to the sides to let in the light, and across the top, bunches of dried herbs and flowers were strung, filling the air with their mixed aromas. 

Harry had already dressed for school, in a pair of worn brown corduroy pants and a wool sweater, so he was ready to leave with Gemma when she came down the stairs. She drifted through the store over to his side and handed him a mug of tea, which he began to sip on.

“Are you ready to get going?” She asked, voice slightly groggy with the remnants of sleep.

“Mhm,” Harry mused, humming into his tea.

“Did you get those orders all packed up?” 

“Yeah, I just finished before you came down.”

“Good. Let’s get going then.”

Harry finished draining the last of his tea, squeezing his eyes shut as he felt the slight burn that came from drinking something hot too quickly, and set it back down on the counter.

“Yes, let’s.”

The two siblings set off down the road on foot. Because they lived on the main street of town, they weren’t far from the school. Besides, they preferred to walk everywhere anyways, it was uncommon to meet a witch that owned a car.

(Well, it was uncommon to meet a witch, period, but that’s irrelevant.)

Harry and Gemma parted ways when they got to the school, Gemma running off to meet her friends, and Harry heading up to his locker. He had arrived at school late, as per usual, because despite his affinity for early mornings, Harry was not known for punctuality. Rushing to grab his books out of his locker, he headed for his math class, on the other end of the building.

_________________

Louis was exhausted already, and he’d only had one class. Liam had insisted on sitting next to him in Chemistry, and his constant energy was impossible to keep up with, especially at 8:00 in the morning. He had English next, and he said a silent prayer that they wouldn’t be doing Shakespeare.

It took Louis a few minutes to find his English classroom, meaning that by the time he arrived, the class was just starting. He cursed himself internally for being late, before recognizing a familiar face among the group.

Curly.

“Ah,” the teacher said upon seeing Louis standing in the doorway, “you must be Louis. Come on in and find a seat.”

When the teacher began speaking, Harry’s head snapped up and he caught Louis eyes on him. Shooting Louis a grin, Harry waved him over to come sit next to him. 

“Hey,” Harry leaned over and whispered to him, “fancy seeing you here.”

Louis smiled at that.

“This is Zayn,” Harry continued, gesturing to a dark haired boy sitting on the other side of Harry.

Zayn turned slightly to give Louis a smile and a wave.

“Hey,” Zayn said softly, “it’s nice to meet you.”

After being introduced, Zayn turned his attention back to the teacher at the front, and the other two boys followed suit. Their English teacher was an older man, with gray hairs peppered over his head. 

“Today,” he began to drone, “we will be continuing our journey into the fascinating world of Macbeth.”

At that declaration, Louis groaned and put his head down against the desk.

___________________

The rest of the day continued fairly uneventfully. Harry had something to do at lunch, so Louis was left with Zayn, who mostly sat silently reading poetry while Louis ate. Oh well. At least Louis wasn’t eating alone. 

Louis didn’t know anyone in his two afternoon classes, however he did make a positive discovery at the end of the day, when he returned to his locker and found Harry placing his things in the locker next to his. 

“Hey stranger,” Louis greeted, startling Harry and causing him to slam his locker shut.

“Jesus, you scared me.” Harry complained, leaning back against the wall of metal.

Louis quickly retrieved the books he needed for his homework and was all set to say his goodbyes when he noticed it was raining outside. Groaning at the thought of walking to his truck in the rain, he closed his locker.

“What’s the issue?” Harry inquired about Louis groan.

“S’nothing, just the rain.”

“Oh yeah, you’ll get used to it. Do you have to walk home?”

“No, it’s just annoying is all.”

“Yeah. Well, at least you don’t have to walk...”

“Do you?” Louis asked. “Have to walk, that is.”

“Yeah. Me and my sister walk every day. It’s not far though, I don’t mind.”

“Would you want a ride? You know, just to get out of the rain?”

“Sure,” Harry smiled at him, “I’d love a ride.”

“Perfect Curly, let’s get going then.”

The two boys walked out to Louis' truck, Harry helping Louis navigate the school hallways. They ran through the parking lot as the rain pounded down on them, and by the time they got to the truck they were out of breath from running and laughing.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this Harry,” Louis panted out. “It's awful.”

“Bah, it’s not so bad,” Harry replied as they got in the truck, “I actually kind of like the rain. It gives the whole world a clean slate.”

“You’re quite the poet Curly… but I guess I’ve never thought about it like that.”

Harry gave Louis directions back to the Apothecary, and Louis drove in silence, staying extra focused on the road because of the rain. When they arrived, Harry asked Louis if he wanted to come inside for a few minutes.

“Sure!” Louis replied eagerly, not having anything better to do.

“Great!” Harry replied, leading them inside.

Harry directed Louis towards some chairs at a counter by the window, and offered to go get them both some tea from upstairs. Louis thanked him and Harry left through a doorway in the back of the shop. While he was waiting for Harry to return, Louis looked around the shop and the various creams and ointments, artisanal soaps, and decorative artworks. He took in the almost overwhelming array of scents and colours, and decided that, although the space was very maximalist, it still felt homely and inviting.

Before long, Harry emerged back through the doorway, carrying two steaming mugs. He had just offered one to Louis when a woman came bursting through the door, arms piled with boxes, and hair dripping with rain.

“Harry!” She called out frantically. “Harry! Har- oh, there you are dear. Who’s this? Never mind that now, I need you to come upstairs with me, now, it's an emergency.”

The woman, whom Louis could only assume was Harry’s mother, eyed Louis somewhat suspiciously, before gesturing for Harry to come with her.

“Alright mom,” he told her. “I’m really sorry Lou, but I have to go. You understand, it’s a family emergency.”

“Right um, okay I guess,” Louis responded helplessly, unsure what else to say.

Before he could even properly register what had just occurred, he was left standing alone, awkwardly, in the middle of the strange unfamiliar shop.

Things just kept getting stranger...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think so far!


	4. Chapter Four - Finding a Place in the World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look at Louis first three weeks in Crooks Creek. He grows closer to his new friends, especially Harry, despite his increasing strangeness.
> 
> *the song for this chapter is Only Friend by Wallows (chapter title is also from this song)

The month of April flew by for Louis.

_______________________

After his slightly awkward first encounter with Harry’s mother, Louis was wary of going by the Apothecary. However, his mother didn’t seem to have much regard for his feelings on the matter when she insisted that he “was just being silly”, and “of course you can go buy me some hand cream”. 

This was how Louis found himself driving Harry home from school again the next day, citing his mother’s desperate need for hand cream as the reason. Although Louis did actually need to buy the lotion, he found that he didn’t mind running errands for her if it meant he could spend more time with Harry. 

Harry wasted no time grabbing various samples of different products, explaining the properties of each in depth. Louis was, quite frankly, amazed at his vast knowledge on the matter, but he figured that it made sense, given that Harry had probably been raised in the store his whole life. In the end, Louis had just asked Harry to choose a lotion for him, and he’d ended up leaving the store with enough hand cream to last his whole family about 5 years.

_______________________

Louis ended up driving Harry home a third time that week, on Friday, along with his sister Gemma.

Harry had asked Louis, rather frantically, during English, if he could drive him and Gemma home that day, explaining that something urgent had come up, and they needed to get home as quickly as possible. 

Louis had, of course, agreed, but it left him wondering just how many family emergencies a person could have in the span of 5 days.

_______________________

Louis ate lunch most days with Harry and Zayn. He learned that Zayn and Harry had known each other since pre-school, as had most people who lived in Crooks Creek. Louis got along well enough with Zayn, who was relaxed enough to balance out Harry’s constant nervous energy.

The more Louis got to know Harry, the more mysterious he became. He always carried several jars, which he collected various items in. It wasn’t uncommon to be walking with Harry down the hallway, only to stop so he could collect a particularly interesting spiderweb. Harry’s family was also apparently in a constant state of crisis, as he would have to abruptly leave, or cancel plans, no less than twice a week, always citing a “family emergency” as the reason for his absence. 

Despite having known Harry for nearly a month now, Louis was no closer to uncovering what these family emergencies were all about.

_______________________

When he wasn’t hanging out with Harry or Zayn, Louis would sometimes talk to Liam. 

One day, during a particularly boring Chemistry class, it was revealed that Liam and Louis shared a mutual love for soccer. In addition to being on the Student Council, Liam was also on the school soccer team, giving him access to the equipment room. He and Louis would sometimes play one on one, or run drills on the pitch after school. It was too late in the year for Louis to try out for the team, but Liam kept insisting that “next year man, you’d be a shoe in, I promise you”. Louis didn’t really believe him.

After getting over his initial reservations about Liam's overly enthusiastic personality, Louis found that he was actually quite a good friend, especially when they could play a game of soccer to tire him out.

_______________________

The first day that Louis was actually able to hang out with Harry after school without a “family emergency” happening wasn’t until almost two weeks after they had met.

Louis had driven Harry and Gemma home again, and they asked him if he wanted to stay and hang out for a bit. He had agreed, happy that seemed to actually be making friends. The three of them went inside the shop, and this time Harry gestured for Louis to follow him upstairs. Gemma stayed behind to run the store, and the two boys went upstairs.

If Louis had found the store overwhelming, it was nothing compared to Harry’s apartment. Every surface seemed to be covered in rich colours. The walls were painted in deep blues and radiant purples, and the floor was layered with woven rugs. The curtains were pulled back to let in the daylight, but they were the same heavy velvet as the ones downstairs, obviously able to completely block out the sun if they wanted to. Louis didn’t have much time to take in the elaborate decor however, as Harry pulled him through the main room and into his bedroom. 

Upon first inspection, Harry’s room seemed somewhat tamer than the rest of the apartment. His walls were a mossy green colour, and he had some band posters hung along the walls, mostly older music, or more obscure, not the sort of thing Louis really listened to. He had a quilt on his bed, which normally Louis would have found odd and grandmotherly, but it made perfect sense for Harry. There was a tall wooden bookshelf that was practically overflowing, and the windowsill was stuffed with plants and rocks. Louis couldn’t imagine Harry living any place else. 

Harry flopped lazily down onto the bed, while Louis stood awkwardly just in front of the door. When it didn’t seem that Harry was going to stand up anytime soon, Louis leaned back against the wall and slunk down to sit on the floor. 

“Welcome to my humble abode,” Harry said, gesturing vaguely to the surroundings.

“I like it,” Louis responded, “it’s very… you.”

“That's a good thing, right?”

Louis laughed.

“Yes Curly, that's a good thing. Now, are we going to do something or… ” Louis trailed off, waiting for Harry to respond.

“Hmm,” Harry mused, seemingly considering their options. “I was actually just going to take a nap, but you can help yourself to a novel.”

Louis furrowed his brows, wondering if Harry was actually being serious or not.

“Kidding,” came the answer. “Of course we can do something Lou. What did you have in mind?”

“I don’t know, what do you usually do for fun?”

_______________________

That was how Anne walked into her kitchen at 5:00 on a Friday afternoon to find it occupied by two teenage boys and covered in flour.

Harry had suggested to Louis that they bake something, to which Louis had responded that he didn’t know how. After a few minutes of Harry convincing Louis that “it’s easy”, and “I’ll teach you everything you need to know”, Louis had reluctantly agreed.

They had settled on making blueberry muffins, and Harry had tasked Louis with measuring out the flour while he went downstairs to find some obscure spice they carried in the shop. When Harry came back upstairs not 5 minutes later, he found Louis staring at the ceiling, covered in flour. Harry had simply shook his head and started trying to brush the flour out of Louis' hair.

Although they did eventually manage to get the muffins into the oven, it was not without sacrifice. The kitchen was well and truly ruined, looking as if a tornado had passed through it. In their efforts to clean up, the boys somehow managed to make an even greater mess, and this was how Anne found the apartment upon her arrival home. Louis apologized sincerely, and, after cleaning up, insisted he had to head home. Armed with half a dozen blueberry muffins, he went home having had his best day in months.

_______________________

The final week of April passed by fairly uneventfully, and the days slipped into May without anyone noticing much. It seemed that Louis' first month in Crooks Creek, although pleasant, was shaping up to be mainly uneventful.

That is, until Niall’s party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, let me know what you think!

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think of the story so far!


End file.
